Nirvana Biodynamics

Today was seed planting day (2 days before full moon) or rather it started off as reseeding some of the January plantings. This time of year is some what challenging when it comes to seeds. Firstly there is the heat that dries out the seedbeds very quickly. In January I put shade cloth over the seeds & covered the area with old sheets. It worked very well with excellent germination. I took away the covers; everything looked great until the blackbirds decided they fancied digging in the damp soil. They dug up and destroyed all the seedlings along one side so I replanted and covered the reseeded area with racks. So then naturally they dug up the other side. Time to get serious so today that side was replanted. The parsnips, some carrots, chard, chicory and beetroot where replaced and now the whole bed was covered with bird netting. If the cool change does not come tomorrow I will cover it during the day with sheets to keep the moisture up. So now it was time to plant this month...

It’s nice to get in the swing of regular BBQs again. Our barbie has been rebuilt i.e. a ‘new’ ½ 44gal drum. This one is a good heavy duty one and took a bit of cutting but will last many years and the other half is there ready for when it finally burns out. I lov e cooking with wood; it has a special quality especially when you grow your own. The garden pro vides the vegetables and fresh salads. The meat is usually local and bartered. Last week we had Urrbrae sausages that Maggie & Bob brought along to the wine m aking. Last night we had Gibberagunyah lamb chops from out at Nairne. Part of a whole lamb swamped for a couple of geese. Not many food miles to our veranda. Such meals are simple and a great celebration of fresh flavorsome foods. When ever the weather is not too cold we eat in our dinning area on the veranda enjoying the peaceful view and sights and sounds of the birds before the dark takes over. Last night the moon was extremely bright. The moon is full on Thursday ...

Reaping the harvests at this time of the summer is special . This is when the planning, planting & caring for the garden really pay off well. The basket is laden with beans, actually I’ve planted a few too many as I got carried away with making trellises from prunings. These pruning were a result of a program to reducing the hight of some of our mature fruit trees to make netting easier. I had put them aside to use for weaving projects but then thought they would make interesting trellises. So they are now supporting various beans along with the main bike wheel trellis. Daily harvests of tomatoes, cucumbers, a rich variety of greens, carrots of all colours, basil, deliciously sweet parsnips, and rich beetroot plus when required chard and, the odd cabbage make meals special. This week a friend brought round a rabbit, which was cooked to perfection by Quentin and shared with our neighbour June. Needless to say it was served with a wide selection of vegetables fresh from the g...

At this time of the summer, as well as harvesting I’m busy ensuring the harvest extends throughout the year. My preference is drying fruit, fruit wines, pickling vegetables, making sauces, jams & chutneys (although some are frozen to be processed on cold winters days on the wood stove.) The first batch of fruit wine is bubbling away .I wait till the mad rush of Christmas berries are over before starting on the wine. Many fruits are best frozen first, as when the thaw many of the cells are broken & this helps mash up the fruit so as the yeast can work on the fruit. After much trial & error I make only 5 litres of wine at a time as this gives you 6 ½ bottles which is plenty for me & you can make more variety. More importantly the processes can be done on time, Straining, filtering & racking 5 litre takes only a few minutes. Making fruit wines is simple once you have organised the equipment. The main difference is that grapes have everything you need to make wine conta...

Today it’s been drizzling all day, although it won’t be a significant amount of moisture it’s a pleasant change. The moisture as put a temporality stop to the mulberry harvest. Being covered in red juice has been the norm lately as we pick the mulberries. Today I dusted off a c ouple of helpers & constructed a couple more with the aim of deterring the black cockatoos from demolishing the walnuts. They are beautiful birds so let’s hope a few scarecrows & flappy things keep them from stopping for lunch in the orchard. Not only do they take the nuts but they shred the leaves and small branches.